GAINESVILLE - Lanier Technical College is one of the few businesses that is benefiting from the recent sluggish economy.
Interim President Dr. Steven Deraney said the school, which has campuses in Oakwood and Cumming, is on pace to set all-time high enrollment figures.
"A lot of people have decided to go back to school and learn a new skill and young people are deciding that they would rather learn a trade and hit the work force earlier," Deraney said. "We think that we offer some great benefits to people in some fields that are hard to get training in."
And it has shown up in the numbers. For the first time in five years the school has experienced double-digit enrollment growth. Nearly 2,300 students have enrolled for the Winter quarter - a 15 percent increase.
Deraney expects the figure to rise to more than 2,600 for the fall semester.
Lanier offers the only motor sports program in the country for those who are interested in getting into the auto racing business. Lanier also offers one of the only surgical technical training schools for the nursing industry.
Deraney said he thinks the increased interest in technical schools is due to a change of heart, or mind.
"The thinking used to be that those who went to technical schools couldn't do anything else. I think that mindset is changing," Deraney said. "It takes a lot of know-how and skill to do some of these jobs and people are starting to realize that they can learn a valuable skill more cheaply and quicker than by going into a four-year college."
To compliment the change in enrollment and attitude, Lanier is also planning some major expansion over the next five years.
Deraney said each campus is in line to get a new building. The projects would cost between $16 to $20 million and take about four years to complete.
"We need the space because the growth has been tremendous. Plus, this will allow us to offer more things and have more classrooms. We think this is a great time to be a part of Lanier Tech," he said.
Wednesday
January 22nd, 2025
4:00PM
